Political Quotes

“I rise in support of H.R. 6304, FISA Amendments Act. This bipartisan bill takes steps to increase our Nation's security while also protecting Americans' civil liberties. H.R. 6304, FISA Amendments Act, provides the critical tools that our intelligence community needs to ensure the safety of our Nation. With many surveillance warrants set to expire in the coming weeks, the intelligence community needs a strong and dependable set of guidelines to follow while conducting surveillance. H.R. 6304 allows the Government to authorize surveillance in the case of an emergency situation, provided that they return to the FISA court within 7 days to apply for a warrant. This bill also includes a number of provisions that significantly strengthen the protection of our civil rights. H.R. 6304 clarifies that FISA is the exclusive means for conducting surveillance in the United States, prohibiting any President from using executive power to conduct a warrantless wiretapping program. This bill also requires the Government to obtain an individual warrant from the FISA Court before conducting surveillance on a United States citizen. This warrant must be based on probable cause, and the provision now includes American citizens abroad as well. H.R. 6304 requires prior review and approval of the intelligence community's targeting and minimization procedures that ensure that any inadvertently intercepted communications by American citizens are destroyed.”